I was returning from Calgary and found QE II in excellent condition after the heavy snowfall. A large rock was lifted by the SUV in front of me, and because there was no mudguard behind its large wheels, it hit my windshield and chipped it. Later, I was approaching a heavy truck carrying an oversized load. There was a big sign at the back of the vehicle advertising it was an oversized load and travelling at a maximum of 80 km/h. The truck was doing almost 115 km/h and since it probably just left a muddy yard, it was spraying frozen mud all over. One of the larger pieces hit the front of my van and cracked the grill. Because of the mud, I couldn't get a licence plate number and the police ignored it. So I have to find $1,300 for the repair somewhere.

Joseph Krepela

(All because of inconsiderate drivers.)

TAIL WAGS THE DOG

Re: response to H. Slampova's letter. The sad thing is the ones who should be outraged are those of us who have had bilingualism shoved down our throats for years. The majority of Canadians would gladly give up forced bilingualism but the only voice to be heard if this motion was tabled would be the small minority who want us all to speak French. As always in Canada, the tail wags the dog.

Todd Scorah

(Oui!)

LOCKOUT BLAME

Regarding the NHL lockout, both sides are at fault and are destined to damage the league if they don't wake up.

Players: You think you're worth more than you really are. How else do you explain the Toronto Maple Leafs being the richest team in the league? They prove that quality players are not required to turn a profit. It's a combination of history, branding and size of the population that make a franchise profitable. Players come and go. Ten years from now, most of you will be gone and a new crop of stars will have taken over. The Leafs will still be the richest team.

Owners: Stop offering long-term mega-million-dollar contracts and then complain that players make too much. And now you have the nerve to ask them to reduce these same contracts. That's utter stupidity.

Solution: Pay the players what they are owed. Offer much less on all future contracts. If players refuse, offer the same to the next best player waiting to break into the league. Who, in their right mind, would refuse $1 million a year to play a game for a living?

L. Bailey

(Your plan would work fine if every team had the Leafs deluded ... er, we mean dedicated, fanbase)

THE FISCAL CLIFF

Re: WTF is a fiscal cliff? Lorrie Goldstein, Nov. 10. The fiscal cliff — sharply increasing taxes and reducing government expenditures — leads to the loss of jobs and a depressed economy. The logic tells us that if we want more economic activity, we must do the opposite — the government must fund infrastructure and direct job creation through bigger stimulus programs. The experience of Europe demonstrates that austerity leads to economies in a downward spiral. In the long run, putting people to work leads to more tax revenues, smaller social service costs and an economy that gradually stabilizes. Government fiscal policy should be judged, not by how it conforms to some theoretically acceptable debt-to-GDP ratio, but by its actual effect on real people.